backwoods cigarettes
I’ve been smoking since I was sixteen years old. It’s an addiction I haven’t been able to kick yet, but it’s never too late to try. For starters, it’s important to understand the risks and realities of cigarettes and smoking in the UK today.
Smoking cigarettes is a major public health issue in the UK, with around 7.4 million adults currently smoking. That’s roughly 15.5% of the population, which means that more than a third of the adult population in the UK should be more aware of the risks associated with smoking, and what needs to be done to reduce the harm that it can cause.
To put it bluntly, smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. The UK’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, has said that cigarettes are the leading cause of premature death in the UK, with “more than 80,000 people dying from smoking-related illnesses each year”. This means that, on average, smoking causes the death of more than 220 people each day.
The effects of smoking go further, too. It doesn’t just affect an individual’s health; it can have a significant impact upon the costs of healthcare in the country, with recent studies from the Department of Health revealing that smoking costs the NHS more than £2 billion a year. This is money that could be put to better use elsewhere in the healthcare system.
The health risks associated with smoking cigarettes are numerous and varied; from increased risk of developing lung cancer, bronchitis and emphysema to suffering from cardiovascular disease and having a greater risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking’s effects also include an increased susceptibility towards tooth decay, infertility and a weakened immune system, while women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience a miscarriage, premature labour and placenta problems.
As with many other things, there’s also an economic cost to smoking. Those who use tobacco products face a daily choice between buying smokes and spending money on other essentials, such as food and clothing, or putting it towards immediate medical needs they or their family may have. And it’s not just individuals who may be financially impacted; so too are businesses, who must factor higher costs associated with healthcare and insurance into their wages for those who smoke.
The UK Government has been a strong advocate for reducing smoking in the country, with several high-profile interventions in recent years, such as the introduction of plain packaging for cigarettes, imposing taxes on smoking products, and banning the sale of cigarettes to those under the age of 18. The focus has increasingly become reducing the availability of cigarettes overall – closing down shops selling them, and increasing the price so they’re not as accessible.
These initiatives have certainly led to a reduction in the number of smokers in the UK, with the percentage of adult smokers having declined from nearly 24% in 1974 to around 15% today. However, the Government is determined to carry on in its drive to reduce smoking in the country.
For me, the appeal of smoking was always the false feeling of ‘belonging’ it can bring, an appeal that especially resonates with the young. One challenge for the Government, then, will be to ensure young people are well aware of the risks associated with smoking so that the same realities I’m still struggling to come to terms with don’t befall another generation.
My message, then, is this: before you think about taking up smoking for any reason, make sure that you’ve done your research and that you understand the risks and possible consequences involved.